Lamu tourism promises better tidings for locals
Tourism in Lamu is on the upswing according to stakeholders despite the prevailing insecurity in parts of the mainland and losses suffered because of Covid-19 pandemic that has affected earnings for hoteliers in the past two years.
The growing fortunes of tourism in Lamu island could be linked to the lifting of some of the restrictions by President Uhuru Kenyatta in October, which offered a reprieve for many hoteliers and travel agents and tourism stakeholders.
Despite reeling from losses suffered from the cancellation of the Lamu Cultural Festival and Lamu Fishing Festival in December, and insecurity worries lurking in the mainland especially during electioneering period, tourism stakeholders are certain the influx of tourists will continue.
“The Lamu tourism sector is proving to be resilient despite the recent insecurity worries with both domestic and international tourists still flocking hotels in Amu with bookings in most hotels in Shela recording 90 per cent,” Lamu Tourism and Trade Chief Officer Atwaa Salim said.
High season
Similar sentiments were echoed by Lamu Tourism Association official and hotelier Fridah Njeri who said that most hoteliers at the moment are still riding on December-March high season wave with hopes that the high season would not be affected despite concerns over security in the mainland.
“Shela village has been well marketed not only in the international scene, but also locally, with the area experiencing a renaissance with the type of tourists now coming into Lamu being young, Kenyan and well-travelled,” she said.
Lamu Trade and Tourism executive Josephat Musembi noted that although tourism was once again on the rise in Lamu, the county was looking to increase its Trade and Tourism development budget to enable it spruce up Amu Island as World Heritage Site. The county has a trade and tourism development budget of Sh18 million, despite the county earning more than Sh60 million from the sector.
“The county cancelled the Lamu Cultural Festival and the Lamu Fishing Festival due to the low uptake of Covid-19 vaccine among residents,” Musembi stated.
Tourism numbers up
Tourism stakeholders have intimated that although tourism numbers are up, the county lost more than Sh30 million in revenue in both the formal and informal sectors.
However, despite the cancellation of the festivals, the uptake in tourism numbers has been underscored according to Chairman of the Lamu Tourism Association Ghalib Alwy by the rise of domestic tourists since the turn of the pandemic last year.
“Domestic tourism has been the boon for our sector especially with the travel restrictions that affected and still continues to affect international travel,” Alwy reiterates, adding that the county is slowly gaining its pre-Covid-19 status as a preferred tourism destination.
“Hoteliers and airlines have had to be innovative while marketing Lamu, especially in carving out a new niche among domestic tourists who would normally have gone outside the country, but now prefer to come to Lamu,” he added.
He adds hoteliers have had to recall staff who had been laid off during the pandemic due to the expectation that the tourist numbers would continue to grow.
He further commended the county and national government’s efforts to improve its investment on terrestrial wildlife tourism that is expected to spur Lamu’s tourism in the near future. - KNA
